The Colorado Department of Transportation closed down Highway 71 from Last Chance to Limon and Highway 14 from Ault to Briggsdale due to what it called adverse conditions, and Interstate 76 was closed from mile markers 86 to 89 west of Brush due to an accident Tuesday evening.

Three people were hurt Tuesday evening when their sport utility vehicle spun off icy and snowpacked Interstate 76 westbound two miles west of Brush and rolled 1 3/4 times through the median, stopping on its left side in the left eastbound lane, Trooper John Takahashi of the Colorado State Patrol reported.

All three were taken to Colorado Plains Medical Center in Fort Morgan for treatment.

Kelly Cordle was reported in good condition at CPMC; the others were treated and released.

Damage in the 8:45 p.m. crash was listed as severe.

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David Hediyati, 54, Aurora, escaped injury when his pickup truck spun off I-76 westbound six miles west of Wiggins at 4:45 p.m. Tuesday and rolled onto its top in the median, resulting in moderate damge.

Brush area CDOT Manager Wes Templeton said Morgan County highways were in pretty good condition, although icy in spots on I-76.

He reported that some semi-trucks spun out west of Wiggins last night and jackknifed, which meant that area was also shut down for a time.

Templeton said he had crews out all night on Morgan County roads. By this morning, his crews reported the highways were sanded.

Snow was blowing south during the night, he said.

Morgan County Bridges Supervisor Dick Early said the big issue on county roads was snowdrifts. The worst areas are in the south, with drifts only here and there in the northern part of the county.

County crews were out early today, and will run in shifts all day to try to keep the drifts under control, he said.

But county roads are mostly passable, although drivers can be on dirt only to find a drift suddenly, Early said.

Inside cities and towns, roads were not too bad.

Fort Morgan Streets Department crews were out on the city's streets since 5 p.m. Tuesday, primarily due to high winds causing snow drifts along the roadways, said City Engineer Brad Curtis. Roads became slick and icy due to the low temperatures and winds.

The official weather station at the Fort Morgan Cemetery reported only 1 inch of snow; however, snow drifts reached over a foot in some areas, he said. Parks crews were out around 5:30 a.m. taking care of sidewalks around public facilities.

Curtis warned that, due to the low temperatures, there may be areas around homes and businesses where sidewalks, driveways, roadways and parking lots may still be icy. Use of sand and/or kitty litter can assist in providing traction.

Though salt or ice melt can melt the ice, the cold temperatures will likely freeze the areas again, he noted. Those out and about today should take the extra time to be careful.

Brush Streets Supervisor Jerry Martinez said his roads were looking pretty good. There were some icy spots but no major problems. A sanding truck went out early this morning to make sure there was traction on the streets.

He said about an inch of snow fell overnight in Brush.

Perhaps a quarter of an inch fell in Wiggins, said Interim Town Administrator Jon Richardson. Drifts were the only real problem in town, mostly on east and west running streets.

He was out about 6:30 a.m. to clear streets up. There was little point in doing it earlier, since the wind just kept piling up drifts.

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